2011 vintage. Pours the color and clarity of honey with no head. Nose expresses citrus and some oak notes. Taste expresses oak, citrus and tannins. Mouthfeel is light-medium in body with an almost still carbonation and a semi-dry finish. Overall, a top notch beer. I think I prefer it better fresh; however, this beer has held up quite well.

It’s Fridge Clearing Week at the homestead! Yes, we are going to get to long-lost beers that for various reasons I haven’t gotten to (anticipated hate, anticipated love, fallen behind a moldy ham, etc.). This one comes via the much-beloved moose3285. 750ML bottle from the 2011 bottling split with my wife.

The cork digs its claws into glass neck, but after a prolonged struggle, I am victorious. The pop is ear-splitting. About 600ML poured out in anticipation of sludge, & those milliliters are clear 24 karat gold with a white, jittering head. Seriously. Sounds like a bowl of Rice Krispies with fresh-poured milk: quite a loud popping. Smells just like the description: Belgian, sour, barrel, with tart green apple being dominant.

Vlad the Imp Aler is surprisingly restrained & complex. The wine barrels bring a lot of up-front flavor, bringing a vinous sharpness that complements the soft tartness that lurks behind: grapes, lemon, green apples, great layers without leaving my asshole as tight as a locked chastity belt. Mid-palate the barrel drops like an f-bomb, with oak enough to build a small fort against the side of the house: big, big wood. Bourbon comes through like a whiff of a good Dan Reed Network song. Belgian yeasts barely survive, but poke through on the finish like a weed sprouting through the barrel staves, along with spices that I can’t ID. Mouthfeel is like Sprite, spritzy & light. Drinkable as hell. I could have taken this myself, & I wouldn’t have even complained.

This is a nuanced, sophisticated take on the style. Right here is why Cascade might be my favorite purveyor of wild ales in the states, because they understand a sour is supposed to taste good, it’s not just an arms race to jack the pucker factor into the ionosphere. After having New Glarus’ Wild Peach a few nights ago, I might have had two of the better American wild ales: this is an elite beer, & no doubt about it. Fantastic.